Improvement in mowing-machines



A. STEVENS;

MOWING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 27, 1877 {1; rms, PHOTOJJTHOGRAPHER- W NITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ANSEL STEVENS, OF GORHAM, MAINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 187,737, dated February27, 1877 application filed May 12, 1876.

-To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANSEL STEVENS, of Gorham, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mowing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification,in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of my machine. Fig. 2 is a viewof the old form of guard, and Fig. 3 a view of my improved form.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing denote the sameparts.

In the drawing, A represents .the cutterbar, which is connected to thebody of the machine by the hinged bar 0 and the brace O. This bar 0 issuspended, by a chain or some equivalent device, from a pulley, (1, overthe grooved edge of which it passes, and to which it is securelyfastened.

The pulley is pivoted in convenient position upon the frame of themachine. To it is fixed a handle, rising to such a position in relationto the seat of the machine as to be readily grasped by the driver, who,by a backward or forward movement of the lever, can give a partialrota-tion to the pulley, and thus raise or lower the bar 0, and with itthe cutter-bar.

On the outer end of the pivot of the pulley d I have pivoted a lever, a,on the free end of which is a weight, a, made to slide on the rod, andin this way to regulate the amount of the weight which acts upon thepulley.

The force of the weighted lever is applied to the pulley by means of asmall pin in the side of the pulley; but obviously the lever may beattached to the pulley in other Ways. It is also obvious that the sameforce may be applied to this pulley by means of a spring, placed eitheron the pulley itself or on some intermediate part.

The action of this counter-balance is manifestly against the weight ofthe cutter-bar, tending to raise it from the ground.

Of course, the amount of weight will depend both upon the size of theweight and upon its distance from the fulcrum.- The weight may be heldin place at any given point by suitable set- Screw, or in any otherwell-known way.

It is plain, moreover, that the cutter-bar may be allowed to press uponthe ground with any degree of lightness desired, and the 7 portionallylessened.

The weight may be so adjusted that a very small force applied to thehand-lever will serve to lift the cutter-bar when such lifting isdesirable.

' This hand-lever is connected to the pulley by pivoting on the innerend of the pivot of that pulley, and acts against pins on the inner faceof the pulley, being pressed against the said face by a semi-ellipticalspring acting between the lever and the pulley.

The pole of the machine is bolted to the frame or body in the usual way;but I have devised an improved draft connection, by which the draft maybe thrown upon one side whenever it is desirable to do so by reason ofany inequality in the strength of-the horses.

This device consists of a T-shaped iron, (marked in the drawings 2', andrepresented as bolted to the under side of the pole.) On the outer endof this iron is pivoted another bar, It, the end opposite to the pivotbeing fur nished with a (lrafthook. In this bar are formed a suitablenumber of holes, (marked m m m,) in any one of which the bent end of therod n may be hooked. This rod is carried back and fastened to the frame,as shown at 0, in order to bring the line of draft as nearly as possiblein the true central line of resistance of the machine when in action.

Obviously, when the forward end of the rod 0 is changed to the right orleft in the holes m m m, a center or side draft may be obtained, as maybe desired.

I claim as my invention- 1. The lifting-pulley cl and chain thereon,connected to the cutter-bar, in combination with the counter-balanceindependent of the hand-levers, as set forth.

2. The combination of the pulley, chain, hinge-bar, and theindepcnGently-operating counter-balance'and hand-lever, as set forth.

3. The variable draft apparatus 2' k, as and for the purposes set forth.

Witnesses: AN SEL HUGH D. MOLELLAN,

STEVENS.

J 01m A. HINKLEY.

